The First Case
by kensi54382
Summary: Continuation of 'You're Hired'. Tony has been at NCIS for a week, and things are looking up for him. Gibbs is happy with his new agent, but it's time to put this new agent to the test with a case. How will Tony go now that he's out in the field with Gibbs? Will he and Gibbs still get along?
1. Chapter 1

Gibbs was absolutely amazed with his new agent. Tony had proven to be very adept at whatever Gibbs threw at him in the NCIS gym- except boxing. He had shown that he could do paperwork well, with barely any guidance or mistakes. He had even shown Gibbs that he was smart with computers- something that Gibbs had not seen until two days earlier. And Tony was the most pleasant person to work with. There were no longer arguments coming from the bullpen like there had been with Stan. All was quiet, and Gibbs seemed to be a little more pleasant now that Tony was around.

"Gibbs? You should check this out," said Tony as he stood up and brought a file over to where Gibbs was sitting at his own desk.

"What is it, Tony?" Gibbs asked.

"This cold case could have probably been solved years ago if the original investigators had done their jobs. It looks like they skipped over the most important detail in the file." Tony handed the file to Gibbs and pointed to a letter that he had just read. "It's from the victim's fiancee. I'll just tell you what it says- the fiancee admitted to stealing the victim's money and identity for her lover. At the end of the note, she wrote that she would do anything to be with her lover, including killing the victim. Maybe she didn't do it, but that seems like a pretty good motive for his death. It was never looked into, and the fiancee wasn't even interviewed."

Gibbs nodded, easily seeing what Tony had spotted. He knew that Tony was right- something about the case was fishy. It was a couple of years old now, but hopefully they would be able to solve it. "Tony, call the fiancee and get her into an interrogation room. I want to talk to her."

"On it, boss!" Tony took the file back and returned to his desk.

* * *

Morrow smiled. He had been keeping an eye on Tony to determine whether putting him onto Gibbs' team was the right decision, and now he had all the answers he needed. Tony and Gibbs worked very well together, bouncing ideas off of each other and backing one another up. In the four days that Tony had been at NCIS, Gibbs and Tony had managed to close a ten year old cold case that had the most seasoned investigators stumped. When Morrow had gone to congratulate Gibbs on a job well done, Gibbs had simply said that it was all Tony's doing, that Tony had found the needle in the haystack that broke the case wide open and led them to the killer. Tony had just shrugged and blamed it on beginners' luck, but Morrow knew it was more than that- Tony was smart and excellent at his job. He was just too modest to let anyone congratulate him.

As he watched, Morrow saw Tony had a file to Gibbs and say something. He watched Gibbs nod along and reply to Tony, the saw Tony return to his desk and pick up his phone. Morrow felt his interest peak, and he decided to go down to the bullpen to find out what his agents were working on.

* * *

Tony was just about to pick up his desk phone a second time to call the victim's fiancee when a shadow entered his field of vision. He looked up in surprise to find that the director was walking over to the bullpen.

"Hi, Tony," said Morrow. "Gibbs."

"Sir," said Tony politely. "Is there a problem?"

"No. I wanted to see what the two of you are working on, actually."

"Uh... We were going over cold cases. I found an inconsistency in this case," said Tony as he indicated the file on his desk. "Gibbs agrees that it's strange."

"What's strange?"

Seeing that Tony was a little shy right then, Gibbs answered before Tony could. "The original agents that investigated that case found a letter from the victim's fiancee. They never looked into it, but when Tony read it, he brought up a good question- why didn't they ever speak with the fiancee if she admitted in that letter that she would kill him to keep her lover?"

"Who were the agents?"

"Tony? Does it have the names of the investigating agents in the file?"

Tony nodded. "Err... Agents Donaldson and Rivera."

"Okay. I'll look into the agents and see if I can get them to come and discuss the case with you. In the meantime, get the fiancee in here and interrogate her," said Morrow as he took the sticky note that Tony had written the names on. "Good find, Tony."

Tony smiled and shook his head. "It was nothing, Director. A set of fresh eyes, really."

"Don't be so modest all the time. When you deserve the credit, you deserve it. I don't tend to give out praise unless it's deserved."

"Thank you, sir."

Morrow nodded, then walked away, satisfied that he had definitely made the correct decision about Tony and the agency.


	2. Chapter 2

Tony was relieved to hang up after speaking to the victim's fiancée. She was rude, which only served to make Tony think that she was involved in the case somehow. He had convinced her to come in for a chat, but he was hesitant to meet her. Something seemed off about the woman, and that was just from her voice.

"Gibbs, the fiancée is coming in. She's apparently an hour away," said Tony tiredly.

"Good job, Tony. Go take a break, get a coffee. I'll be in Morrow's office when you come back," replied Gibbs.

"Thanks. Do you want anything?" Tony had quickly memorised Gibbs' favourite coffee, and always seemed to get it right when he went to buy it for his boss.

"I'm good. I'll see you soon."

Tony stood and picked up his wallet from his desk drawer, then left the bullpen quietly.

* * *

Gibbs was annoyed when Morrow called him up to his office to discuss the case. He and Tony were still gathering information on a case where the only evidence collected clearly didn't tell the whole story. They were still learning to work alongside each other, and as good as they were in that particular area, they were far from perfect. Neither agent had really expected to have to re-open a case for anything more than to tie up loose ends when they agreed to look into cold cases.

"Director," said Gibbs, and even he heard the annoyance in his voice.

"Gibbs. Have a seat," said Morrow. "I know that you're busy, so I'll be quick and get straight to the point. I spoke with the two original agents on this case and they've agreed to talk with you and Tony this afternoon. They're suspicious about why you want to speak with them, so be careful."

Gibbs nodded. He quietly sighed in relief before saying, "thank you, Tom. I'll let Tony know when he gets back from his coffee run. We'll be interviewing the fiancee in roughly an hour."

"Do you want some help?"

"I think we'll be fine. I was going to give Tony the lead, let him learn more and develop his skills."

Morrow smiled. "I think that's a great idea. Just let him know that he's running the interview, not you. He doesn't need to be bombarded with it at the last minute."

Gibbs nodded again. "I will. Thanks." He stood and walked over to the door. "Tom?"

"Yes?"

"I want Tony on my team until he's ready to leave it or until I hand the team over, okay?"

"I already assumed that, Gibbs."

Gibbs nodded curtly as he left, but a smile was playing on his lips. He hardly ever got knocked back with his requests, but he had truly been unsure about Tony and what was going to happen there. He was glad that he had gotten his way.

* * *

Tony sighed happily as he walked back to NCIS with a coffee cup in his hand and a bag of donuts in the other. It was almost lunch time, and Tony had really liked the look of the donuts, so he had decided that he would get them to share them with Gibbs while they worked. It was a small thank you for how great of a mentor Gibbs had been in the last few days. This was the first time that Tony had felt comfortable at work, and the first time he had felt like a part of the team he was working in. He smiled as he walked past the security guards on duty inside the NCIS building, waved to his new friend from accounting, and joined the line of agents waiting for elevators.

"Hey, Tony," said a young man that had graduated from FLETC at the same time as him. "How's working for Agent Gibbs going?"

"It's great, Jason. I love it. Gibbs is a great boss, and he's a wonderful mentor. He's supportive. I know everyone thinks he's a grouch, but he isn't. Not really," answered Tony. "Actually," added Tony as he checked his watch, "I should get going. I have an interview to attend in ten minutes. See you later!"

Tony waved goodbye as he opened the door to the stairwell and started climbing to the third floor, unsure of how long he would be waiting for the elevator. He didn't want to be late, even if Gibbs was nice.

* * *

Gibbs heard Tony coming before the younger man was even out of the stairwell. The smell of donuts was a dead giveaway that the pounding of feet belonged to his new probationary agent. Smiling to himself, Gibbs stood and waved to Tony.

"Boss, hi," said Tony. "The elevators were taking a while, so I used the stairs instead."

"That's alright. The fiancee just arrived. She's waiting in an interrogation room for us," said Gibbs. "Are you ready?"

"I am."

"I want you to take the lead today."

Tony was clearly shocked, and Gibbs felt a little bad. He hadn't asked Tony if he wanted to run the interrogation, he had just told the young man that that's what would be happening. Had he made a mistake? Had he been wrong about Tony being ready to take charge?

"You do?" Tony asked quietly. "Really?"

"You've done interrogations before, haven't you?"

"I have..."

"What's so different then?"

Tony shook his head, but he was smiling. Gibbs let out a breath of relief that he had been right.

"Thank you, Gibbs... Thank you so much!"

Gibbs grinned as Tony almost skipped to the interrogation room ahead of him. The bag of donuts lay on Gibbs' desk, completely forgotten in the younger man's excitement.

"I knew you were ready, Tony," Gibbs said to himself as he followed his agent at a more sedate pace.


	3. Chapter 3

Tony was so excited! It was the first time, in his entire career, that he had been allowed to lead an interrogation. In the past, his superior officers would take control, even if the bust belonged to Tony, and it would be like he didn't exist. He had gotten used to it, even though he didn't like it, and had just assumed that NCIS would be the same. He was relieved to know that things were going to be different at this new workplace. He liked it a lot.

"Tony, are you sure that you're ready? I don't want you to feel like I'm pressuring you here," said Gibbs.

"I'm ready! I got the top marks in my class at the academy when we learnt about interrogations. My trainer said that he was so impressed with me that he wouldn't ever want to be sitting in the hot seat with me as his interrogator," said Tony happily.

Gibbs had to smile. Clearly, Tony had never told that to anyone. It had just tumbled out of his mouth in his haste to tell it to Gibbs, which only served to make Gibbs more satisfied with getting his way.

"Good to know. Is there anything else I don't know about you?"

"I like movies..."

"I meant work related, DiNozzo."

Tony smiled. "Sorry, boss. Uh... I don't think there is."

"Then get in there, and make sure you don't look so happy."

Tony just nodded. He quickly schooled his features, making him look bored, but it was clear that he was still the happiest person alive. Gibbs watched him leave the room, thinking that Tony was going to make a fine agent in absolutely no time at all.

* * *

Tony sat across from the woman that he truly believed had killed the victim in his case. He had the agents' notes as well as the ones he had made himself sitting in a file in front of him, but he didn't open it yet. The fiancee, Amelia Sanderson, was looking at him with a mixture of fear and annoyance. He knew she wanted to say something to him, so he just waited for her to speak.

Five minutes of silence passed, but Tony barely noticed. He was too busy doodling on his notepad. When Amelia finally did speak, he felt a small smile grow. Quickly, he pushed it away and looked up.

"So, you're saying that Jack deserved to die?" asked Tony. "He didn't do anything to you, yet you saw fit to murder him in cold blood, over a small amount of money and the lover you were cheating on him with?"

"Jack was a self-centred, egotistical jerk. He deserved a lot more than I gave him!" shouted Amelia as she stood up. She pointed at Tony. "If you arrest me, I'll be out in an hour, and then I'll come after you!"

Tony shrugged. "Who said that you would get bail? Most murderers stay in prison until their trial."

"I'm a first time offender. I have never done anything other than murder my husband."

"And threaten a federal agent." Tony smirked. "You do realise that you just confessed to murder, don't you?"

"I did not..." Amelia began, her face dropping almost immediately as she realised that she had done just that.

Tony gathered his files and stood. "I was going to show you what I found that implicated you in Jack's murder, but now I don't have to. You see, I wasn't a hundred percent sure about you- I thought that it was possible that you had killed Jack, but I didn't have anything to prove it. Your confession is enough proof, and I guess I'll be seeing you in court."

Tony walked out before Amelia could respond. As soon as he shut the door behind him, he took a deep breath to calm himself down. He wasn't afraid of Amelia or anything that she could do to him- after all, he had been protecting himself from bullies all his life- but it was still nerve-wracking to find out that someone wanted revenge against you.

* * *

Gibbs found himself mumbling something under his breath as he watched Amelia threaten Tony. She had a lot of nerve to tell a federal agent that she'd kill him if he arrested her- especially when there were other agents listening in. But, apart from all of that, Gibbs was angry that he had put Tony into that position. Tony had only been at work for a few days, and Gibbs had allowed him to be alone with a possible killer. He never would have done that with Stan, or any other probie for that matter. So why was he doing it to Tony? Was it because Tony had been a homicide detective and had most likely faced threats like that before?

"Gibbs? Are you listening?" Tony asked, drawing Gibbs back to reality.

"Sorry, Tony. What did you say?" asked Gibbs.

"I asked if you were going to file an arrest report for Amelia so we can arraign her?"

"Of course... Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. She's not the first person to say they would kill me for doing my job, and I doubt that she'll be the last. I've been in worse situations. I can handle myself."

"I don't doubt that. But, please tell me if you need help, alright?"

Tony smiled. "Of course, Gibbs."


	4. Chapter 4

It wasn't long before Tony found himself needing Gibbs' help. He had just stepped into the bullpen when two older men stormed up to him and invaded his personal space. They were clearly very angry, though Tony wasn't sure why. He didn't even know the two men.

"You DiNozzo?" one of them asked.

Tony didn't respond verbally, but his reaction was clear. He took a step back, bumping into the side of his desk as he went. "Who are you?" he asked.

"You got us into trouble! Our cases are being re-opened and examined because of you!" the second one said loudly, not noticing that people were watching.

"Well, if your cases are being re-opened, that's not my fault," replied Tony, trying not to cringe when they stepped closer.

"What's going on here?" demanded Morrow suddenly. "Are you two threatening my agent?"

Both men stepped back and smiled. "Not at all, sir. We just wanted to ask him something without other people knowing about it."

"It certainly sounded a lot like you were accusing Agent DiNozzo of something. Would you like to tell me about it?"

"It was nothing, right DiNozzo?" the first man asked in a falsely sweet tone.

"Nothing? It was something, alright. Do you really think he doesn't know what you said? Everyone heard what you said," Tony said as a response, although he was feeling a little embarrassed.

"We didn't do anything..." tried the second one as two agents stepped forward at the director's request.

"I want them both out of here," said Morrow calmly. "Make sure they leave the Navy Yard, and make sure they don't come back in. Both of them are fired."

"Yes, sir," said one of the agents.

After the two men were gone, Morrow turned to Tony. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly.

"I'm fine. Who were they?" Tony responded.

"They would be former Agents Donaldson and Rivera."

"They said all their cases are being reviewed."

"They are, on my orders. Just because it was only one case of theirs that you looked at and found a problem with, it doesn't mean that there aren't other mistakes that were made. If innocent people are locked up because of them, or if killers are still on the loose, something needs to be done."

"You just fired them."

"This wasn't the first time they've done something stupid. I've given them several warnings. They knew what would happen if they were caught again."

"Are you sure?"

"I am. I don't want you to start feeling responsible for them. They've done the wrong thing, and now they can pay the price for it. How are you going with the case?"

Tony shrugged. "I just finished speaking to the fiancee. She didn't admit to anything at first, but then she kind of just spilled everything. She threatened to kill me if I arrested her, but she probably was just venting. I didn't feel that she meant it."

"Just be careful then. I'll have a protective detail ready in an hour for you."

"I don't need protection, Director. This certainly isn't the first time someone's threatened me because I arrested them. It doesn't worry me."

"Are you sure you don't want protection?"

"Very sure." Tony smiled. "Gibbs is going to file the arrest warrant and then we're going to arraign Amelia. She'll be in jail, awaiting trial, by the end of the day."

"Good work. I would say that you and Gibbs wrapped up this first case quite well. I'm proud to call you an NCIS agent."

"Uh... thank... thank you, Sir," stammered Tony as the realisation that he had finally found his fit crashed down on him. "Thank you so much."

Morrow nodded and smiled, then walked away, leaving a stunned Tony behind.

"Well done, DiNozzo," said Gibbs half a second later. "I knew you could do it."

"Boss? Thank you..."

"Speechless, DiNozzo? That's a first," laughed Gibbs.

"I'm home," whispered Tony to himself as he sat at his desk to file the case's paperwork. "And I'm never going to leave."

* * *

 **The End**

 **A/N: That's it. I hope you all enjoyed ready this story. Sorry for the long wait, but life has gotten in the way recently. Hopefully all of you are still interested in this story!**


End file.
